Love must be blind
by KathBell
Summary: Post-720. The team suddenly find themselves under threat again when one of their own is taken. A person whom everyone thought dead turns up and the team realise that nothing is as it seems. They never seem to catch a break, do they? E/C. Ryan/OC. OCDeath
1. Their own personal hell

**A/N: May I just mention that this was the start of the Angel series. I wrote this story first (It was a one-shot at first, then I got all those lovely reviews for the others) and ta-da. You get a series. :) Please review! **

**Disclaimer: Own nothing.**

**Spoilers: Wolfe in Sheep's clothing. **

**Song: Someday Nickleback. **

**How the hell did we wind up like this? **

"That... That..." Amelia was at a loss for words. Eric was partially in shock and wondered what had gotten her so angry. "Ugh, I hate that stupid OCD, clean-freak, annoying, tall..." She continued to mutter words underneath her breath.

"You and Wolfe, argued?" Eric asked as he took some fingerprints.

"No, what gave you that idea?" She answered, sarcasm literally dripping off every word. "We've argued for the last 8 days. We've known each other for... fourteen years! God, how have we not argued before now? Hold on, that makes me really old... Oh, see what he does to me!"

"Breathe..." Eric muttered quietly. They remained in a comfortable silence until they had finished with the scene. "Hey, where is Wolfe anyway, he's meant to be here too."

She smirked. "Oh, I love today... No, wait. I don't! Ryan really shouldn't be late to a scene for no reason. God, why the hell am I defending him! I should not be defending him..." She paused for a few seconds. "Call him Eric, he'll pick up to you." Eric did that, but he looked confused. Amelia wondered why.

"He didn't pick up Amelia." He said in a matter-of-factly voice. "Didn't ring, either he's rejecting calls or his charge ran down."

She hid the worry she felt easily, but it didn't get rid of it. "He doesn't do that. OCD, his phone never losses charge. He'd never reject a call, cos he'd think Logan Wells has gotten to me. That's what we're like- I mean, have I ever rejected a call from you?" Eric shook his head. "I'd answer my phone at four in the morning because I'm paranoid, he managed to get to us here and that makes us paranoid, so he would not reject a call, especially if I'm on a scene with you."

"Maybe he is just pissed because you-" He got into the car – he was driving because he knew Wolfe would kill him if he let Amelia drive – and waited until she had closed the door to continue. "And him have been arguing for over a week and he needs to calm down."

Amelia looked at him sceptically. "When did you get so good at giving actual real, good, worth listening to advice?"

"Calleigh."

**Why weren't we able to see the signs that we missed?**

As he attempted to keep his breathing under control, Ryan thought of Amelia. He knew that he wasn't going to give in, and he knew that he could die by doing that. He just hoped that she would be okay. The pair had been arguing and he had left to cool down. Then he had been kidnapped. It was just their luck, they couldn't go a three months without being shot, being kidnapped, or something else equally as gruesome.

**And try turn the tables **

_(The next day)_

"Ryan, you didn't come home last... What the hell, I was not watching your apartment... Yes, I'm at work... Why should- Oh, you know what." Amelia shook her head in disgust before hanging up on him. He had some nerve, arguing with her one night, staying out all night, and then telling her to be careful! "Breathe Amelia, don't kill Wolfe. Do not kill Ryan, he doesn't want to be killed, don't kill-"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Eric asked as he walked into the locker room.

"Don't kill Delko, he does not want to have all of his bones broken in more than one place. Don't kill him, you do not want to go to prison."

**Lately there's been too much of this.**

_(Two days later) _

"Okay, I hate him. I hate him so much and I never thought I'd say that. God, why does he have to do this! I would forgive him if he stopped avoiding me so much!" Calleigh and Eric both looked at her in confusion.

"Who, and why are you here?"

"Ryan brother-in-law, ex-best-friend, former partner then reinstated partner who went AWOL, probably going to die if I don't see him soon Wolfe." She answered angrily as she poured herself some coffee. "And Delko, if I hear one word about how coffee is dangerous for everyone around me if I drink it I will not hesitate to use Kate's medical journals so I know where to cut so that you will die a painful, agonizing death." She had decided that she should forgive Ryan, after all, today would have been Sophie's thirteenth birthday and obviously he'd be upset – it also explained why he was out all night (hangover alert, she would be at his apartment with aspirin and coffee later) and why he had asked her to be careful. God, she was such an idiot. "And why wouldn't I be here Cal?" She asked.

"Ryan's off, some family emergency H' said." Eric informed her.

"Oh, well, something is wrong because the only family he has is mine, as in Max, April, Ava, Grace, Ruby, Joe, Johnny, Tom, Harry, Daniel, Mum and Dad. I've spoken to everyone of them this morning and they are all sane, healthy, and sure as hell annoying so something is up and someone stop me talking before I get myself worried." She ran her hands through her hair – which she had down for once – and sighed. "Some thing's wrong."

"Maybe, but you should- Shutting up." Eric stopped himself before Amelia actually carried out one of her _many _threats.

"I'm gonna go ask H'"

**But don't think it's too late **

"Where is he Horatio?" She asked as she walked into his office. "And don't say family emergency, I am his family and I would be off if there was a family emergency so real answer, please." Amelia bit her lip. She should not be talking to her boss like this but her worry for Ryan overtook all of her common sense. "Please, tell me where he is." 

"There was a family emergency." He ignored her orders for now.

"Family emergency my ass, truth would be nice... Please."

Horatio took a deep breath and sighed. Ryan had made him promise not to tell the team because he was worried that they would be targeted by the Russians too. He was angry – at himself and at his team – for not noticing that one of their own was missing. He was angry at himself for not seeing that Ryan was in pain – which he could see now, when he thought about the previous day. He was just angry. But for some reason, his anger faded into guilt as he looked at his newest CSI. Hating himself for breaking his promise, but knowing that telling Amelia would be better for Ryan, he started to speak. "Mr Wolfe was taken to hospital this morning." He quickly got up and helped Amelia into the nearest seat. At the word 'hospital' she had lost literally all of the colour in her face.

"Oh God, H, why didn't you tell us, scratch that, me?" She needed a reasonable answer – and she just hoped this had nothing to do with him being out all night the night before last.

"Ryan was kidnapped and tortured by the Russians," Amelia let out a small gasp. "He refused to do what they said, until they kidnapped a Billy Gantry." Amelia closed her eyes and let him continue. "He withheld evidence until I had found Billy. They also said that they would kidnap you if he didn't do it."

"How bad, and what hospital, I don't give a damn about being targeted. I walk around with a freaking target sign on my back every day, it's not like another one is gonna kill me."

"A fractured rib, on the way to work someone intoxicated fell into him and shifted the rib, it broke fully when he hit the wall and punctured his lung." She was honestly amazed that none of her neighbours had called her to inform her. "Miami Dade Medical."

"Thank you Horatio."

**Nothings wrong, just as long as  
You know that someday I will **

She had rushed through the hospital until she had found the only nurse that she trusted. "Ryan, admitted this morning. Where?" Keeping it simple as always, an exhausted (you try running up 5 massive flights of stairs, if you're not exhausted I shall call you superman/woman for the rest of your immortal life) Amelia asked.

"Second floor, want me to take you in the staff elevator, you look like your about to drop there kid."

"No, need to get in shape. Probably gonna get killed by Ryan anyways." The nurse raised her eyebrows but let her go.

**Someday, somehow  
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now**

**A/N: Please review! I'd love to know what you think! **


	2. I'm sorry that it's this way

**A/N: Just like to say one thing in Amelia's defence: Those bars? They are sure as hell a bitch to get down, easy as anything to get up. **

**Disclaimer: Own nothing.**

**Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing **

"Ryan?" She gasped at the sight on the bed. Part (most) of Ryan's chest was exposed and it was enough to shake her. It was covered in cuts that she knew would scar, and many bruises. Too many. The nurse on this floor had said that he had only just came out of surgery and would be asleep for the remainder of the hour, she had also said that there is no point in going in there but the look on Amelia's face had been enough to convince her to let the distressed woman in. "Oh Ryan," She sighed, shaking her head.

How could someone do this to someone so.. Ryan? Ryan was Ryan and he didn't deserve this. She knew that part of this was her fault – hell, it was all her fault! If she had just realised that he was missing. He didn't answer his phone, oh God, if that was me not answering my phone Ryan would have a freaking search party going through every building in Miami!

Shaking her head, she made a promise to herself to make it up to Ryan somehow before letting approaching the bed. She looked at the floor, unable to look at him without being attacked with unimaginable guilt.

Amelia finally looked up, and decided that he was too pale for a healthy person (his chest indicated that he was anything but healthy but she tried to ignore that for now).

She slowly pushed the two buttons underneath the bed and brought one of the metal railings down. God, they were sure as hell easier to get up than down! She thought bitterly as she struggled with it. Eventually she managed to get it down.

She ran her hand over Ryan's hand, finding tears swell up in her eyes. Her mind subconsciously snapped back to the way she thought when she had been kidnapped: You are scum, you belong to sir, you have no right to cry. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the thoughts out of her mind and wiped her eyes. No tears, no crazy broken girl thoughts, just need Ryan now and life won't be so messed up. She sat down in the chair, not before pulling it as close to the bed as physically possible. The grip she had on his hand tightened and she stayed that way – not moving once – for the next two hours.

**And teach me wrong from right **

"Ryan..." She sighed in relief when he opened his eyes for the fifth time. 5 times means near enough fully awake, 4 times means just over lucid, 3 times means barely lucid, 2 times means anything but lucid, and once means that they aren't anywhere near awake, let alone lucid. God, she had really spent too much time in hospitals.

His eyes scanned around the room for a second before a small, tired, smile found it's way onto his face. "You okay?" He asked roughly. Amelia fought the urge to burst out laughing, but she did giggle a bit.

"Says the one lying in a hospital bed... And I'm just about 10 percent less sane than I was a month ago because you landed yourself in hospital_ again _– I've never really been 100 percent though." She joked light heartedly. She received a smile and a small nod in reply. That was his way of saying good, but this is gonna be awkward in a minute.

"What happened, this time?" She chuckled slightly at his partially dark-joke.

"Some drunk guy fell into you when you were heading to work, you'd fractured a rib – how you managed to hide that is beyond me by the way – and when you fell into the wall it broke fully and punctured your lung." She paused for a moment. "I seriously feel sorry for your lungs." He smiled at the joke – even if it was at his expense.

"Sorry." He whispered, already sounding quiet, tired even. She was worried about him, this was Ryan. New Ryan, whatever. She had no idea what they had done to him but she had seen the victims, she had seen how she herself had changed after torture. She didn't want Ryan to change, but she knew that some part of him would. For one, he'd always be looking over his shoulder, but he was doing that already.

"Sorry?" She whispered back, leaning down so that her chin was resting on the bed. "You've go nothing to be sorry for, okay?" She bit her lip. Don't cry Amy, he needs you to be strong. You're not going to have a repeat of last time. He nodded, his eyelids growing heavy, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

Amelia leaned back into her chair, but she didn't release Ryan's hand, and struggled not to cry. She had been saying that she hated him. She had been horrible, cruel even. And that morning... Oh... He had asked her if she was okay, that must have been why... He must have called her first. There had been something off with his voice, she remembered, it had sounded pained, but she had just assumed that he had gone to a bar and had a hangover from hell. How stupid was that? He would never drink that much – he rarely drank as it was.

**And I'll show you what I can be.**

**Say it for me. Say it to me**

"Now the both of them?" Calleigh asked, glancing at Eric with worry in her voice. "Something is wrong." She finished with a sigh.

"I know, but what? She hadn't even known something had happened yesterday, and if it was a family emergency, she would've known before him, right?" Eric pointed out.

"Have any of you tried calling them?" Natalia asked, finally entering the conversation. It was starting to get boring; them worrying about Ryan and Amelia but not having the courage to call them. The looks on their faces gave them the answer. "You should. They'll tell you if it is important. They aren't the biggest secret keepers." Eric snorted at this. "What?"

"We never even knew he was married for how many years Nat, you think he'd tell us everything?" Eric explained. "And they are good secret keepers."

"You never gave him a chance to tell you. I knew before Amelia ever came." Calleigh and Eric were both surprised by the new information. "But I'm worried about him too; he's been acting off and I know it isn't a family emergency, he would've called."

"If you're all so worried trace one of their phones." Eric joked. The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Wait- I didn't-" Natalia and Calleigh were already in the corridor, walking in the direction of the A/V lab. "I give up." He muttered to himself before following in a jog.

**And I'll leave this life behind me  
Say it if it's worth saving me **

"Hospital?" Calleigh read out. "Miami Dade General hospital. Why is Amelia there?" Ryan's phone had been off, so they had been forced to trace Amelia's. They didn't like to invade their friends privacy, but none of them could shake the uneasy feeling that followed them.

"None of them are ill, well, Ryan isn't. Amelia was the last to know so she probably isn't... You don't think?"

"What?"

"The other day, when you told me Ryan hadn't been answering his phone... He'd been on his way to interview that guy..."

"Amelia said he'd stayed out the whole night, and he was in work the next day," Eric supplied.

"Looking like crap," Calleigh added, worry creeping into her voice. "He had a split lip and a missing tooth, then the next day; family emergency."

"I think we should go to the hospital..." Natalia whispered, unable to shake the words 'Too little too late' from her mind. She didn't know why – there was no logical or illogical reason for her to be thinking those words.

"Yeah..." Eric breathed.

**Heaven's gates won't open up for me  
With these broken wings I'm fallin'  
And all I see is you **

Amelia sat on the chair outside of Ryan's room, breathing heavily and trying her best not to cry. God, she had been so scared. The doctors had mentioned something about scarring on his lungs, and bruising but she hadn't really taken much notice. Ryan had flat lined, right in front of her. How could he do that to her again? She knew he couldn't exactly help it, but she still hated having to see him go through this. She was tempted to punch the wall, but her attention was stolen by three people now jogging over to her. "What, what are you doing here?" She was shocked. Horatio had been reluctant about telling her, so god knows why he would tell them. Well, Natalia she could consider, but Eric and Calleigh?

"We traced your phone." Amelia nearly slapped him. He did what? Eric noticed the anger on her face and quickly continued. "We were worried about you and Wolfe. You never drop of the radar without a call."

"And the family emergency didn't cut it." Natalia added. "What's happened? Where's Ryan?" Amelia closed her eyes and motioned to the window behind her.

"Why are you pointing to a hospital room Amy?" Calleigh couldn't help it, her heart was beating a thousand mile an hour and Amelia looked like she was ready to collapse. "We can't see through, who's in there?"

"Ryan... He... He was kidnapped."

**A/N: Don't hate me for the cliffie! :D **


	3. Return, react, recover

**This time, this place  
Misused, mistakes  
Too long, too late.  
Who was I to make you wait?**

"What?" Natalia was the first to react, her voice betraying the emotions that ran through her. Shock, disbelief, and mostly, guilt.

"He was kidnapped, by the Russians." Amelia replied, her head resting on her hand.

"Why didn't we investigate, or get told?" Calleigh asked.

"No one noticed." Amelia stood up and ran her hand through her hair. "How could no one notice that he was missing for 12 hours?" She sighed. "And he didn't want us to know," She laughed bitterly. "He didn't was us to get hurt. If I hadn't have stormed H's office he could have died and we wouldn't know." She knew that someone would have told them – she would have known – but that wasn't the point.

"Can we see him?" Amelia shook her head.

"If you'd have gotten here half an hour ago then yeah, but not now. The doctors are still in with him... He was doing fine then his heart, he just... He stopped breathing. I don't even know if he is alive." She sighed. "This shouldn't happen – not to Ryan, he just... He's Ryan."

"Amelia?" She turned to the doctor quickly, worry and fear gracing her features. Eric put a comforting hand on his friends shoulder. You better be breathing Wolfe, he thought worriedly, because she won't get over you.

"Lisa, thank God, is Ryan okay?" The doctor looked at the four people in front of her. The blonde had a look of worry on her face, much like the Cuban (Hot!) guy. The other woman that wasn't Amelia looked as if she was dreading the outcome.

"He's alive." There was the good news. "I'm a bit worried about the scarring on his lungs, with the bruising he sustained during the beatings-" Natalia was slowly starting to dread what the doctor was saying. "And the breaks he received when he fell, his lungs are quite ready to give out. His lungs were already weak as it was..." Lisa trailed off. "On the plus side-" If there was one they could use it. "Most of the bruising seems to be superficial, it's not really as bad as it looks," This worried the three that hadn't seen Ryan – if a doctor says a patients appearance is bad then you should be very worried. "Ryan's a fighter, he's made it through... well, a lot. I'm not giving you false hope, his lungs are in very bad condition, but there is a chance that he could recover from this."

"Thank God.." Amelia whispered.

"However, he should recover physically, erm, emotionally, mentally, you will see a difference." The four nodded. They knew the drill – torture victims change. They didn't like – they hated – to think of Ryan as a victim though. "Erm, listen, I know this is a lot for you to take in, but if any of you want to visit him I have to tell you that he will be sedated. I thought it was unreasonable but we can't have him moving too much. Sorry."

**Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
Cause you know, you know.  
You know...**

**That I love you**  
** I have loved you all along**

Eric was unable to shake the guilt, and he was pretty sure that seeing Ryan had only intensified it. His chest was covered in an assortment of small knife-shaped cuts and it was nearly completely bruised. How had that happened? He had been furious at the other man no longer than three days ago for hiding evidence, and now he had a small idea of what they had put Ryan through in order to make him do that.

Natalia had to try and keep tears out of her eyes at the sight of her friend, broken and small, surrounded by machines and other objects. This was not Ryan. She struggled to keep back tears at the sight. Who could do this to Ryan. She wondered if they had been caught... Of course they had been caught, we would have investigated, but then again, we didn't even know he had been missing, so investigating his abduction would be unlikely. She was surprised that Ryan hadn't told anyone - well, Calleigh and Eric she could understand, but her and Amelia? What had happened to him that he felt the need to keep something like this to himself, to let it get this far.

Too little too late, she thought bitterly.

** And I miss you**  
**Been far away for far too long**  
**I keep dreaming you'll be with me**  
** and you'll never go**  
** Stop breathing if**  
** I don't see you anymore**

This man had caused the death of one of his friends, one of his people - his family. He was blinded by pure rage, yet he controlled it. He would make this man pay, by doing the same as he had done to him. This man would learn that he could no longer mess with his family.

* * *

"Horatio..." She trailed off. "Ryan's health is declining... Yes, he's still alive, coma-free, not on a vent... Listen, I have a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong... Yes, you should trust the bad feeling, bad things happen when I have them... Yeah, I know, the guy is dead... You killed him, I know.." Amelia was seriously getting tired of Horatio's reassurances. "The mob, mafia, whatever, they're like a family, and what would you do if someone caused a death in your family... Kill the guy... Yes, I think we should get some officers out here... Thank you." She smiled, hung up, and briskly turned back to the group of friends crowded in the corner of the waiting room. The three of them had probably seen Ryan while she was on the phone, yes, that would explain the looks of guilt and shock on their faces.

She sighed and made her way over to them. "Guy's, I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault." They nodded but she knew that they were thinking differently.

The next few days would be longer than ever.

**A/N: 5% Charge left = UPDATE at warp-speed! :D**


	4. Crash, crash, burn

_**A/N: I officially hate living in England. Anyone who doesn't live over here is very, very lucky. I've spent most of the day searching for CSI: Miami online, only problem is that it freezes every 3 seconds, I'm at 2:35... A very long night ahead of me... Please review and make me happy again!  
Disclaimer: Do not own CSI: Miami, if I did it would show IN ENGLAND at the same time as everywhere else...**_

**No matter how many times that you told me you wanted to leave.  
No matter how many breaths that you took, you still couldn't breathe.**

Amelia sat in the break room of the lab, nursing the coffee in her hand but refusing to drink it. It was there, always there. Bone-crushing guilt that had fallen on her so hard that she couldn't breathe. Ryan was okay, he had very weakly told her that but she, of all people, could see past his façade. He was physically healing, healing faster than normal, but physiologically she knew he was failing. He was putting up walls – which wouldn't be much of a difference for Calleigh, Eric and Natalia, or any one who only knew him from Miami – but to her it changed everything. He was suffering and she couldn't do anything to stop it. "Hey," A voice greeted her. It took her a few seconds, but Amelia eventually recognised it as Natalia's.

"Hey." Amelia replied, pushing the discarded coffee away. "Shouldn't you be at home? It's like," Amelia glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. "Three in the morning."

"Couldn't sleep, and shouldn't you?"

"Same, well, I could sleep, just not... I live in the same building as him, the drunk guy – he lives opposite me. I just, can't go back yet, not with Ryan." Amelia explained. "How did we not see this?

"I don't know, Amy." Natalia sighed as she put her hand on Amelia's arm. "We should've seen it."

**No matter how many nights that you lie wide awake to the sound of the poison rain **

It was four in the morning when Amelia finally left the lab, she had decided to go see Ryan in the hospital, try to grab breakfast with Lisa and then head back to the lab and hopefully not collapse due to exhaustion. She shivered and searched the car lot for her car. She had caught a cab to the hospital yesterday, and she couldn't recall exactly where she had left her car. Amelia shook her head and laughed bitterly, but quietly, at herself. Of all the things... "Typical me." She muttered, walking along the row of cars. Her one wasn't that hard to spot anyway. Suddenly, she felt something sharp and heavy hit her in the head. She turned around, attempting to protect herself, but someone already had a hand on her mouth. She felt something in her throat, the sharp edge of a needle she assumed, before it all went black.

_**A/N: I know it is short, but the next chapter will be up soon :) And come on – it was worth it. **_


	5. Made of light and dark

_**A/N: I've finally finished it (3 hours for a 49 minute something episode, England sucks!) I loved that end scene, made the wait worth it :D Thanks for the reviews!  
Disclaimer: Own nothing! **_

"Where's Amelia?" Eric asked, looking around the room. It was well past the start of their shift and they all knew she should be in.

"I'll call the hospital." Natalia said, Calleigh nodded and got out her own phone, intending to call Amelia, Eric watched them before calling Ryan.

"Wolfe." A weak and tired voice greeted him. Eric closed his eyes for a second, realising just how stupid he had been to ignore the whole 'no answer' incident. Ryan was in hospital, after nearly dying, and he still answered his phone. "Eric? You there?"

"Yeah, sorry, has Amelia been in this morning?"

**Where did you go? **

Ryan felt his blood turn to ice at Eric's words. Lisa had only just left after venting her worry about their friend not turning up last night, or for breakfast that morning. "No, she hasn't been at the lab all morning?"

"No, and..." Ryan could hear Natalia's voice in the background. "She isn't answering her phone either. It's turned off. It's probably just lost charge." Ryan shook his head, breathing out a long sigh.

"She, her phone never loses charge – ever. Eric, try and find her car, if its still there and no one can get in touch with her, you... You should be worried."

**Where did you go?**

"Yeah, I'll go check it out... You got her license plate?" Eric grabbed the nearest pad and pen and wrote down whatever Ryan was saying. Natalia and Calleigh watched him, silently worried for both of their friends. If something happened to Amelia Ryan would never forgive himself. "Thanks, yeah, don't even think of coming. I'll call you with an update."

"Well?" Calleigh asked, her voice revealing much more worry than intended. We're just being paranoid that's all, it's just because Ryan went missing and we didn't know, now Amelia. We're just being paranoid, she tried to convince herself, but the more logical part of her mind screamed otherwise.

"He said that she didn't come in, and we should go check out her car. If it's here then, he said we should be worried." It was not what any of them wanted to hear, and as they were about to leave the room, Horatio entered.

"We have a problem, Amelia's been kidnapped."

**Where did you go?**

Natalia looked up for a few seconds before returning to her work... Hold on, was that? She looked up again, her eyes wide. "What the..." She continued to stare as Ryan entered the room and sat down on the nearest seat. He looked like hell, and he probably felt like it too. "Ryan, what are you doing here?"

"Finding Amy, what you working on?" He still sounded weak, but she could hear that fierce dedication and worry in his voice. She had been planning on arguing with him, forcing him to go back to the hospital, but she knew him too well. If they argued about this it would be a waste of time, and in his case, of breath.

"Erm, there was a cloth at the scene, it had a few drops of blood on." Ryan nodded, neither of them needed to say that the blood was probably from Amelia, which meant that she was bleeding – which was not a good sign. "I'm running the DNA now, just to make sure. She fought back, when the guy came up to her." Ryan let a small smile fall onto his face for a few seconds – at least she fought back. It disappeared quickly when the results came in. "Two matches, turns out it was two separate samples; Amelia's and this... Ryan... I think the Russians-" Natalia noticed the wince at the mention of his abductors. What would he be like when she told her this. "They... One of the samples is Logan Wells."

**Tell me would you kill to save for a life?  
Tell me would you kill to prove you're right? **

Horatio surveyed the small area, cornered off from the rest of the parking lot by the yellow tape, with sadness. It wasn't obvious. Not many could see that he was sad, his face only showed controlled rage. As if it wasn't bad enough for one of their own to have been kidnapped, and less than a week later, another to be taken. He knew that the Russians were probably behind this, there was barely any other possibility. But he had received a call from Natalia, saying that Logan Wells blood had been found at the scene. They had seen the video footage – whoever planned this had been stupid, they had taken her in perfect view of the security system, but they had been quick, too quick for the guards – and they had seen several known members of the Russian Mafia as well as whom they now assumed to be Logan Wells (only Amelia had ever seen him, so only she could identify him) take her.

Whoever had taken her, he swore that he would find her.

**Crash, crash, burn, let it all burn **

"April! Get your sorry ass over here!" Ava ordered to the person sitting behind her. She had a news report up on her screen, one that had only been posted several minutes ago. Two words sprung out, outlined in bold and enlarged at the top of the screen. Missing CSI. "I'm going to call Amelia, if this is someone she knows..." Neither of them needed to mention that it could be their sister. "Come on, come on..."

"I'll phone Ryan." April whispered, pushing her chair back to her desk and picking up her phone. She dialled in the familiar number and waited for an answer, watching out of the corner of her eye as Ava reluctantly hung up as the call turned to voice mail. "Ryan?" Her voice was filled with relief when the familiar – but worried and weak, she noted with fear – voice answered.

"April... Erm.."

"Is it Amelia?" She could hear her own voice cracking and breaking at his hesitant response. No teasing, no joking. Scared and weak. He sounded like hell, and it was a voice that she hadn't heard in years. Not since Amy went missing, and that was a particular period in time that none of them planned on revisiting any time soon.

She heard Ryan swallowed nervously and glanced at her sister. She frowned, as if saying 'I think it's her.' "Yeah. It's the Russians, they... It's a long story, but they're working with Logan Wells and they have Amelia." April squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds before nodding. Ava put her hand over her mouth and stared ahead at the news.

"You sure it's him?"

"There was his blood at the-" Ryan was coughing now, his explanation cut short by what sounded like painful gasps for air.

"Ryan, are you okay?" She asked, waiting for a moment until he stopped coughing. "And don't bull-shit me with 'Yes' or 'I'm fine' because you sure as hell don't sound it, and I'm not in the mood to yell at you."

"I'll explain when you get here, okay." He didn't need to ask if they were coming, April very nearly smiled at how much he knew them.

"Yeah, we're on our way. If you need anything, we have the FBI to help, but we'll be on this case..." She paused for a second, feeling like she was about to be sick at the thought. "You said the Russians, as in the Mafia, do we need to get agents out to the rest of us?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. You could get Johnny and Joe to the lab, their still in the country right?"

"Yes, they got honourable discharge, remember, Joe took a bullet for someone high up a few weeks ago, and Johnny was on his way out anyway, and he got involved in this hostage- you know what, doesn't matter, I'll get them there. Grace and Ruby will be in school now, and we'll have agents everywhere within the hour. Max is here anyway, she's in a different unit, same floor, and the boys are at... God knows where. I'll get on that when we get to your place..."

"Okay. Listen, I have to go now. Can you phone Lisa and explain the situation, she'll be going crazy, and do not let Ava drive. I can't deal with you two being in a car wreck." And he was being completely serious.

"Yeah, K'. Bye." She sighed as he hung up. "Ava, call Lisa, she's in Miami I think, and I'm driving. You need to call the family, explain, and get agents on it. I will get Maxi and then we'll meet in the car, okay?"

"K'"

**This hurricane's chasing us all underground**

Amelia pried open her eyes for a few seconds, taking her time to adjust to the lack of light and sharp headache. She recognised everything about the situation, especially the cuffs around her hands. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling hot tears burning at them. _Find me, guys, come on Ryan, I cannot do this again. Please, Ryan, don't do what I did to you. _She knew that Ryan would realise she was missing – he was nothing like her.

A/N: Finally! This took me an hour. Please review!


	6. Don't you need me?

**A/N: Firstly, thanks for the reviews! Secondly, remember that woman who visited Ryan in 'Red Angel'? Well, she is finally revealed :)  
Disclaimer: Own nothing from CSI: Miami!**

_No matter how many deaths that I die I will never forget _

Her life had never been easy, well, not since she moved to New York. Dead best friends, shootings, cancer, kidnapped-sisters, dying husbands, dead daughter. No, her life had never been particularly easy in New York. Her second life had been much easier – a name provided by the federal government, no links to her family or her past, unfortunately, one of her old neighbours moved in across the street and she had been forced to unearth herself again.

Anna Bailey had never existed after that.

She was tired of it now, unable to bear the touch-and-go life any more, and with recent events, she had been forced out of witness protection. Her handlers hadn't been pleased with her decision, they had even resorted to saying 'What would you daughter want?' She had simply retorted with 'She'd want me to be with her Daddy, and my sister.' And it was true. That was what her daughter would have wanted, so here she stood, about to see him for the first time in just over four years.

_No matter how many lives that I live I will never regret_

Ava's eyes immediately went to Ryan's exposed neck, a small bruise was forming around it. Max and April noticed it too and tensed. "What the hell happened to you Ry?" She breathed. There was no one in the room other than them, she assumed that they had sent Ryan to stop them killing everyone in there – smart move. He looked at the floor, obviously uneasy. Max exchanged glances with April and stepped forward.

"Ryan?" Her voice shook. Max was still in a state of shock and disbelief. Amelia had been kidnapped again, and it just broke her heart. She had been 16 the first time, and this time, even if she was in her twenties, she was still ill-prepared. No one could be prepared for this situation.

"It's nothing." He told them, a noticeable wheeze in his voice.

"Yeah, and the world is about to end." April countered sarcastically. "What happened Ryan? You say 'nothing' or 'I'm fine' and I will do what Amelia would do." Her voice softened and she smirked. None of them needed to say what Amelia would be saying right now.

"Four nights ago, I-" How do you tell someone that you'd been kidnapped? "I was abducted by the Russians, but I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. Now, can we please focus on Amy."

_There is a fire inside of this heart in a riot about to explode into flames._

_Where is your God?_

_Where is your God?_

_Where is your God?_

Eric sighed as he read over the documents again. He'd already memorised them after Amelia's breakdown, but procedure forced him to go through this painful task again. He glanced over at Calleigh, recognising the same pain on her face. Reading about anyone who had been abducted by Logan Wells was bad enough – for it to be a college, a friend. God this must have been like a walk through hell for Ryan.

The hell that Ryan was probably reliving, except this time it would've been magnified. He looked around, his eyes catching a seemingly lost woman standing in the middle of the lab. She was searching for something – someone. Normally that would worry him, a woman – unknown to any of them – standing in the middle of the lab. But he recognised her, from a photo nonetheless.

It couldn't be possible, his mind screamed, she's dead. It wasn't possible. He must be sleeping, the exhaustion from the case taking its toll. There wasn't another possibility other than that, except her actually being alive, which, according to everyone

Calleigh noticed his staring and looked up. "Oh my God..." She couldn't help but whisper the words. "That's..."

"Someone should get Wolfe." Eric suggested, turning back to Calleigh – she did the same, but to him – and not noticing the woman walking towards them.

"Yes, you should, and I'm pretty sure his name is Ryan." She smiled. Eric picked up a slight upper-class London accent tainting her words.

"Sorry if this is rude, but you're dead." Calleigh may have sounded crazy to the people who weren't informed of who this woman was. Calleigh was nearly angry at her – if she was alive why hadn't she told Ryan and Amelia, all that pain that had been caused, and she had never died. For Kate's sake, there had better be a logical explanation for this. "And you're standing here, in front of us, and dead people don't suddenly come back to life."

"Ah, you ever heard of witness protection? And I wasn't willing, trust me, I was grieving at the time, unable to make full decisions, you get the point, and before you ask; they'd told me that Ryan and Sophie had been killed, while Ryan was obviously still alive. Turns out they were being paid off by the Devil himself-" Eric raised an eyebrow at her. "The bastard that nearly killed my family, me, Amelia... God you lot must be dumb... Logan Wells?" Realisation could be seen on the CSI's faces. "Anyway, do you know where Ryan is? I've got my old ID back and if you check the records, I am alive. So I'd like to talk to my husband, probably after he freaks out. And how is the investigation going?"

"Erm, he... He's gone to get Ava, April, Max-"

"I get the point." Calleigh nearly smiled at the look on Eric's face – Kate and Amelia were definitely alike when it came to scaring the crap out of CSI's, male only ones anyway. "The family, great. Is Lisa here?" Again, two confused looks. "Damn, how did you get Amelia and Ryan on this team? You can be so stupid sometimes – Ryan's doctor, well, one of the many." The pair of CSI's nodded. Ryan did have a lot of doctors. He even married one.

"He'll be back soon, and Amelia's investigation is going..." Eric hesitated. That was all the answer that Kate needed.

"Damn..." She breathed, pushing out the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "You two better go and get Ryan somewhere that he won't see me, I don't think he's going to take this well and I'd prefer to not have the whole lab – extremely bigger than New York by the way, you've even got the FBI beat – staring at him when he finds out his dead wife is alive. You know, like you two did. I mean, you never even knew me and- why is he trying not to laugh?" Calleigh glanced at Eric and smirked.

"You and Amelia are the worst ramblers he's ever met."

**A/N: I bet you weren't expecting THAT now, where you? Please review, and next chapter: Ryan's reaction and more Amelia, plus the clan and the team might get closer to Amelia :) **


	7. Hoping our answers light the dark

_**A/N: Double updates – the bonus of not having to leave till 11 tomorrow :D  
WARNING: Swearing. Lots of swearing.  
Song: Open your eyes, Andrew Belle.  
Disclaimer: Own nothing. **_

_Open your eyes now  
It's time to see  
If you can reach me _

_Open your eyes now.  
It's time to leave me._

Amelia swallowed down her rising panic as he approached her, smiling sadistically.

_Taylor yelled, begging him to leave her alone. Rachel cried, she'd do anything to keep her safe. _

"Now, now Amy, how's your sister?" She remained silent, raising her head to glare at him from her place on the floor. Hatred burned away at her – she wanted this man dead. "You know, Katie."

"If I were you I would shut up." She muttered darkly. "She's dead. You had anything to do with that you son of a bitch?" Her voice remained calm and cold, not even trembling.

"Ever the charmer, and she isn't dead. I might have played a hand in little Sophie's death, but Kate, she flew off the radar until, oh, lets say about a few minutes ago. She's at the lab, been in witness protection all this time. Bet'cha you never thought she'd put you through that much pain did ya? You and Ryan, she mustn't have cared at all. Until now, but I think she was just bored of her little toy boy, Mike." Logan knew that he was lying – he enjoyed it. Kate was alive, yes, but she had never seen any other guys. He'd tried to get close to her a few times, but she'd glared at him and told him, well, let's not go into details now, shall we?

"Wow, turns out you can be more of a bastard than I thought." He glared at her for a few seconds before slapping her face. Her head snapped to the side slightly, burning hot pain spread across her cheek. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying. _Come on Ryan, I kinda need you. _

_  
Open your eyes now.  
It's time to see.  
If you still believe in me._

"Eric, I think I'll be fine watching over the tapes. I'm no use to her in here." Ryan argued to the best of his abilities – breathing still became hard at the best of times, and he was exhausted. He hated feeling like this, but all he could think about was Amelia. Kate would hate him if Amelia died, that was if Kate was still- Oh God.

"Delko, leave." She ordered softly, getting up and chewing on her lower lip. Ryan heard the door open and close behind him, not even bothering to take his eyes off Kate. This wasn't possible – he must be dreaming. This whole thing was probably just a dream – Amelia would be safe, Kate would still be dead and he was probably in hospital. A dream, that was it.

Kate looked at Ryan – he hated changed much. His hair was shorter, and he looked more exhausted, but she put that down to the Russian incident. "What happened to you?" She whispered upon seeing his neck. Ryan made a short mental note to get something that would cover his neck, but that didn't matter right now. Kate was alive? "Ryan, you in there?" She approached him slowly and carefully, worried that she had messed him up slightly.

Ha. You've done more than mess him up slightly Katie, you take messed up to a whole other level! "Kate?" He breathed, she heard the disbelief and hope in his voice. Maybe there was hope. "You're alive?" She nodded.

"After Sophie died, they took me into witness protection. It wasn't a drunk driver, it was Logan Wells, I recognised him off the sketch. I, I wasn't driving Ryan, they'd taken me out first, I wasn't even hurt, it was Aunt Lil." 'Aunt Lil' had been the woman who had lived next door for her whole life, and she had taken the Wolfe-Carter family in under her wing. She had died of a heart attack on the same day as Kate's... whatever that was now. "They told me you were dead Ryan, they told me you and Amelia had been on a case and had been blown up. I thought you were dead, I didn't have a choice, I wasn't thinking straight, one minute it was there, then it wasn't and I-" She started to sob. She shook her head. Amelia's going through hell, Ryan's recovering from broken ribs and he'll want to hug you which will be extremely painful. No way.

"Hey, hey, look at me. It'll be alright, you're back now, right?"

"And cancer free." She smiled as he grabbed her hands. "Six years since we saw each other, you sure we can do this?"

"I love you Kate. We can do this, we'll find Amelia, you'll see your clan and it'll be okay." And she wanted to believe him, wanted to fall into the realm of happiness she had spent the last six years praying for, but she couldn't.

Not until Amelia was back.

_Open your life now. I'll try to be all that you need me to be.  
_

"We have a lead?" Ava asked, her voice showing shock. "God, I was wrong. She's been missing for what, five hours and you already have a lead? Thank God for your fast labs." She was truly thankful that they could have Amelia's possible location.

"I'll tell Ryan and Kate. Ryan is gonna want to come, don't say no, the poor guys been through enough this week. If she's there then she'll want him more than us – he was there for her last time and he'll do the same this time." April frowned slightly. They were this close to finding Amelia, possibly killing the guy who had kidnapped her in the first place.

Johnny stood up, until now he had been silent, not being able to understand half of what the scientists and agents were saying. "I'm coming." Ava opened her mouth to argue, to tell him that he was just a civilian, but that fierce look in his eyes told her that she stood no chance of getting him to back down.

Here we go again, Max thought, here we go.

_She'll be a star now, I will follow her lead.  
She'll be a scar now, I will still let her bleed._

Natalia looked at the warehouse anxiously and glanced over at Ryan. He seemed to be terrified – which was strange, he wasn't always that easy to read. She hoped it was just the exhaustion taking it's effect, the tire from the surgery, not the pain and cruelty he had endured. She was still plagued with that cloud of guilt – especially now with Amelia missing. She had been the last one to see their friend – if only she'd have gone to see Ryan too, if only she'd have offered the younger CSI a lift to the hospital then maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't be in this terrible situation.

_Open your eyes now, and try to speak,  
Like you can see me._

Calleigh and Eric entered the warehouse after it had been cleared by SWAT. The paramedics were not far behind them but they had sprinted into the building, needing to know if Amelia was alive. Ryan was still outside – Natalia was the only one able to keep him back. They couldn't risk hurting his ribs any more than they (it may have not been them who kidnapped Ryan but they might as well of because they'd done nothing to stop it, or find him at least) already had. They spotted her, shaking in a corner nearby, she looked fine, but in shock. "Amy? Amelia?" Eric asked softly. She flinched slightly at the sound but turned to him.

"Is he dead?" She whispered. "Wells, is he dead?" Calleigh nodded. It truly scared her to hear her friend sounding so broken, so scared. It broke her heart. "Good. He... He kept saying Kate's alive, and-"

"She is." Amelia looked up from the floor – she had returned to staring at it earlier – and looked at Eric with wide eyes. "Witness protection, she's alive and waiting for you at the hospital. Can you stand up?" Amelia nodded weakly, unfolding her arms from around her legs and pushing herself to her feat. She swayed at first, and ended up using Calleigh and Eric to steady her.

"God, my head." She complained weakly, her voice still shaking.

"Do you want us to get the paramed- Amelia!" Calleigh yelled as Amelia's legs gave in completely. Eric dove forward to catch her in his arms – thankfully he was successful – but Amelia was unconscious and that couldn't be good, could it? The paramedics had heard the yell and were rushing over, but Calleigh could only stand there. Frozen in fear.

_Open your eyes now, I'll try to be almost everything you need me to be._

_**A/N: My friend called me evil today – and I have to agree. Here is a nice little cliffhanger. Reviews will make me update :)**_


	8. Love must be blind

**A/N: A BIG thank you to Mrs. GCallen ** **who has reviewed every story in this series :) Thanks to everyone else to :P This chapter will have some random memories (first two paragraphs because post-that I'm stuck) and the rest will be present time.  
Disclaimer: Own nothing! **

_Open up wide, swallow down deep.  
No spoon full of sugar could make it sweet._

_The cancer inside, is stealing my sleep._

Kate frowned as another headache burst through her. Shouldn't the pain meds be working now? "Kate, you okay?" No, Ryan! I am not freaking okay! I have cancer, and you're still recovering from taking a bullet to the chest! How the hell can I be okay? She felt like crying, like screaming, but she couldn't. She was simply too tired.

"Kate?" He asked again, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. He tried not to show just how scared he was – he shouldn't be scared, he wasn't the one with cancer.

"Are you real?" She whispered, Ryan couldn't shake how broken she had sounded. Terrified even.

She had to ask if he was real – how come none of them had noticed before?

"I'm real Katie, and I'm here."

_Night after night._

_It keeps haunting me._

Amelia was awoken from another nightmare by Ryan. Her eyes were searching around the room, frantically and she felt herself starting to panic.

Blood. Pain. Tears. Begging.

"Make it stop," She whispered. "Please, make it stop." She repeated. Ryan held her close.

"You're safe." He whispered back, stroking her hair gently as she started to cry. God, how much he wanted to kill that bastard. He'd do anything – and he meant anything – to ease the pain his best friend was suffering. "He's not going to get you here. I promise." Because if he tried, Ryan would kill him before he even got into the street, let alone the apartment building.

_The secrets I keep  
Are tearing me up inside  
I try to hide and then I wonder why?  
Why I'm still running when I know there's no escaping._

Kate sighed. It shouldn't take this long for them to get information out to the patients family. Maybe things had been quicker in New York – they did have better doctors back there after all, she had decided. Lisa had been coming and going, at first she had been in shock (Kate had considered admitting her) but she had started to get accustomed to seeing her dead friend.

Oh, how normal did that sound?

She looked around the room. Eric and Calleigh looked like they were about to fall asleep, so did Ryan (but he'd looked like that anyway, she reasoned). Horatio looked alert, stone-faced even, but she could detect a hint of worry on his face. That guy was nearly as good at hiding things as Ryan was. Natalia was sitting on the other side of Ryan, he face covered in worry and empathy.

That's it. Kate stood up abruptly, stirring the rest of the group. She ignored the confused gazes and walked into the trauma room.

_Come undone, surrender is stronger  
I don't need to be the hero tonight _

"Oh, God, I'm dying." Amelia muttered, seeing a dead person. Kate smirked and sat down next to her sister.

"You're not dying, nor are you going to die any time soon. Don't even think of it." Amelia smiled a little at her sister/hallucination's (what else could it be?) teasing. She looked up as Ryan walked in. He was shaken by Amelia's appearance, but he didn't appear too fazed by it and took the other seat.

"Hey Ry, guess what? This concussion makes me hallucinate – that or I am dying." Kate glanced up at the IV line, reading the information on the side of the bag and then following it down to a syringe held in a machine, another wire appeared out of that and it lead to something that was being held in Amelia's hand. Kate nearly laughed.

Her sister was on morphine. This would be interesting. She smiled and looked at Ryan, mouthing 'Morphine' to him. He smirked, obviously agreeing with his wife's (assuming that they were still married, he wasn't quite sure about that after the whole 'officially dead' thing) conclusion. There was a long night ahead of them. Interesting.

"You're not dying Amy, Kate was in the witness protection the whole time. She's real." Amelia blinked, looking from Kate to Ryan and back to Kate again.

"Real?" She asked, her voice sounding similar to a child. Innocent and curious, it nearly broke their hearts. Kate smiled weakly and nodded, fighting the tears in her eyes. "You're alive?" Kate nodded again.

Amelia couldn't believe it. Her drug-induced mind was slow, but she probably wouldn't be able to believe it anyway. Kate was alive? She was quite sure that this had to be a side-effect of the concussion, but she could feel Kate's warm – not ice cold – hand on hers, and Ryan had told her that Kate was real.

So Kate was real?

_We all want love we all want honour  
Nobody wants to pay the asking price_

Eric hugged Calleigh closer as they sat in the now-empty waiting room. Natalia had gone to get coffee, Horatio had gone to see Alexx, and Amelia's family were in with her now. They were alone, so Eric decided that he should speak.

Calleigh beat him to it. "I thought she was dead, when she collapsed, I thought he'd injected her with something and she was dead, or dying, and we couldn't do anything about it." She admitted, her gaze remaining, as if written in stone, on the floor, refusing to move. "What if she had died?"

"She didn't though, did she?" He answered, kissing her forehead gently. "I love you Calleigh, you know that?"

"Yeah, and I love you too."

"Then marry me, don't answer yet." He added, seeing the shocked look on her face as she sat up, finally removing her stare from the floor, if only to his face. "Just look at Kate and Ryan, everything they've been through. I, I don't think I could take that, I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you, and I love you. So why not?" Calleigh felt a smile creep onto her face. Why not?

"Okay, yes, okay. We'll get married."

**A/N: I had to throw in some HAPPY to this story (shudders at the thought). More dark and twisty to come next :) I'd love to know what you all think!**


	9. Nobody wants to pay the asking price

**A/N: Yack. Romance sucks. Thanks for reviewing! :)  
Disclaimer: Own nothing!**

_Fall on my knees, fall on my pride  
I'm tripping over all the times I've lied _

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Ryan asked. For the fifteenth time – Amelia had been counting.

"Dear God... You know I can drive myself to the hospital Ryan. It's just a check-up scan and then a job interview. You can stay here with Amy." Kate sighed – she was getting tired of this, plus she was going to be late and, in all honesty, she, like Ryan, did not want to leave Amelia alone on her third day home.

Amelia rolled her eyes at them, standing up from her seat on the couch. "Guys. I'm going to work tomorrow, I'm sane, I'm healthy. Headache's gone, tiredness gone. No nightmares." She hated lying to them. She had nightmares every night, and she was so tired. "Now, for Gods sake I will go crazy if you two stay here like mother-hens, so do me a favour? Get the hell out of here." Kate and Ryan looked at each other before nodding and leaving the small apartment.

"Dear God; why the hell did you have to create worry?" Amelia whispered sarcastically, shaking her head and turning back to the TV. She couldn't wait until she was back in work; anything was better than old friends re-runs and, well, something about dirt and really bad cop programs. Daytime TV sucked. Plus, being in work was a great distraction. It was what she needed – a distraction. Tears burned at her eyes as she blinked. He's dead. He won't hurt any of you any more.

Keep fighting.

_I'm asking please, but I can see in your eyes  
You don't need tears for alibis_

"I'm sorry Ryan," Kate swallowed, looking up at Ryan as he parked the car.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for Katie." She smiled through the tears as his hand coiled itself around hers.

"Yes, I have. I've made everything 10 times worse, you, Amelia, everything. You've had enough to deal with without me adding to the mix." She refused to meet his kind, caring eyes.

"You made everything better." She met his eyes, silently begging him to stop lying. She saw something she didn't expect to see – honesty.

_It's true what they say  
Love must be blind _

"I'm worried about Ryan," Natalia informed them. She had lost count of the amount of times someone had said that over the past few days. Calleigh and Eric looked up at her, small hints of guilt on their faces. "And Amelia, and Kate." She sighed.

"So are we." Eric answered. "He freaked out when he saw Kate, which is understandable but still..."

"Yeah, and Amelia too. She'd have been hit hard by it, guy who nearly killed her before kidnaps her, then her sister comes back to life, so to speak." Calleigh added.

_It's why you're still standing by this sinners side._

"So?"

"So?" Kate smirked at Ryan.

"Did you get the job?"

"Oh, I don't know, he said yes so I am assuming that yes I got the job!" She laughed. "I think I owe Lisa more than a few drinks."

"You don't say." He laughed. "So, when do you- KATE!" He yelled, barely registering her heart-wrenching scream of pain. All he saw was her blood, her falling to the ground. "Kate, stay with me Kate." He fell to his knee's, picking her up and holding her in his arms. She was slipping away already – this couldn't be happening. He'd just gotten her back so she could not be dying. "Kate, Katie, come on don't go." Tears burned at his eyes, he struggled to keep his composure. He was quite sure that there were doctors around – considering that they were within hospital grounds – but they had parked in the back on the car-lot, well out of view, and he hadn't heard a shot so he assumed that the gun had some sort of silencer attached, but he couldn't focus on that right now.

"Ryan..." She whispered, already feeling dizzy. Blood loss sucked, she decided, trying her best not to scream out in pain as he put more pressure on the now-gaping hole in her stomach. "Hurts..." She cried quietly, tears streaming down her face.

"I know, Katie, but I can't lose you again." He was silently begging with whatever God there was; She didn't deserve this – they didn't. Let her be okay.

Kate tensed in his arms again as another wave of pain and nausea ran through her. She could barely stay awake, and breathing was becoming harder by the second. I'm so sorry Ryan. "Ry.. I can't... I love you..." He started shaking his head, trying to ignore the alarming amount of blood that was running through his fingers. She shouldn't be losing this much blood. It was a bad sign, and god knows they only wanted – needed – good signs.

"You're not going to do this. You're not gonna die, Katie, don't even think of saying goodbye." He pleaded with her. Kate struggled to breathe as she shook her head.

"Take care of Amy... Ry, t'ke care of Am'es." She started to slur, consciousness starting to slip away from her. He shook his head again, not even bothering, nor caring, to wipe away the tears that streamed down his face.

"Please..." She only smiled weakly at him, and momentarily tightened the steel grip she had on his arm. "Please, Katie, no." The smile slowly faded from her face, she blinked a few times, opening her mouth to say something, before going completely limp in his arms. "KATE!"

_You're still by my side when all the things I've done have left you bleeding_

**A/N: I have trouble writing happy – so I shoot the guys dead-now-alive wife. Reviews are, as always, loved and greatly appreciated :) **


	10. Only human

_A/N: You would not believe how many times I re-wrote this. She died five times in total, lived 3 before I decided what to do XD Also, I might as well warn you now: The next few chapters will be dark and sad.  
Disclaimer: Own nothing.  
Song: Flowers for a Ghost, Thriving Ivory. You really should listen to it, super sad :'( Plus it really fits this chapter._

"There's been a shooting at the hospital, possibly one vic, the spouse was there so we have a witness, and a few of the doctors know the vic, but I don't know the gender or who it was." Natalia informed Eric, and Calleigh if you think technically. "Ryan and Kate are at the hospital." She couldn't hide the worry in her voice. She heard, through the phone, Eric getting up and muttering something to Calleigh.

"Do we know if... If..." She understood. He couldn't accept it, he couldn't believe that any chance of happiness could have been snatched away from Ryan, or even the possibility that it had been

"No, I don't know if Kate or Ryan were there, injured, or witnesses. I think the vic is still alive though." She added, injecting a bit of hope into the otherwise hopeless situation.

"Good. Me and Cal' are on our way."

"Okay, see you there." Natalia hung up, biting her lip before she dialled in Amelia's number. She knew, well, part of her thought that Amelia could break under the stress of this situation so soon after the ordeal with the Russians (for both her and Ryan) but she had a feeling that Ryan and Kate had been somehow included in all of this, so she rang her anyway.

"Wolfe residence, Amelia speaking, if this is my sister or Ryan asking me if I am ok for the seventeenth time, I am fine, and do us a favour; stop calling, I am not gonna meltdown. If this is anyone else; Sorry you had to hear that and can I take a message?" She must have had that written down somewhere, Natalia nearly smiled at her friends antics.

"Amelia- Have you heard from Ryan or Kate? And 'Wolfe residence, Amelia speaking'?"

"What, I have a lot of free time, plus I'm paranoid, Wolfe residence makes it sound posh, therefore nothing to do with me and Ryan. Cos seriously? Me being posh, Kate maybe but me? Not gonna happen. And yeah, they said they were leaving the hospital, about an hour ago. Why? Nat, should I be getting worried?"

"No, it's nothing, just we have a case and I needed Ryan's... insight on it. Listen, I have to go, but I'll call you later, me, you and the clan can send Ryan to Delko's-" Amelia started to laugh at that, yeah right. Ryan and Eric in the same room – it was not a good mix. "Don't laugh, and I was going to say that we can have the night in, just the... Eight of us." Amelia laughed again.

"Sure, sure, okay. Tell Ryan that he'll probably have to go hang around with the boys tonight. It's better than him and Eric. Bye." Natalia didn't hang up, but she listened to the continuous dialling tone that the radio emitted (she was on hands free).

_Let them be okay,_ she silently prayed.

–

Horatio knew the name of their victim the second he arrived on the scene; he had seen Ryan's doctor crying. They had met eyes, his silently begging for it to not be Ryan or Kate. Unfortunately she had shook her head. Natalia had pulled up next, Eric and Calleigh arriving only a few seconds later. They all knew from the look on Horatio's face – his normally stone face – that it was bad news. "Who?" Eric asked as Lisa reached them. The tears streaming down her face told them that she knew the victim, which probably meant that they did too.

"Kate." She choked out. "I found them, Ryan and Kate, Ryan started yelling and I ran round, and by the time I got there... She was dead." Lisa let another sob out. "They had to sedate Ryan, when security got here. He wouldn't leave her." Calleigh had to turn away, her hand placed steadily on her mouth; anything to calm the rush of emotions that were starting to overwhelm her. Eric's knuckles tightened, blind fury running through him. It took all of his will-power not to punch the nearest wall (which was a concrete pillar) and yell. Natalia was biting her lip, struggling on what to do first – go see Ryan or be the one to tell Amelia. Part of her needed reassurance that Ryan hadn't been injured (physically, because they all knew that mentally was a different story) any more than he already had, the other part wanting to make sure Amelia was okay. She decided that Ryan would be the first person she saw too – maybe Eric could see Amelia, as they were good friends.

**You disappear with all your good intentions  
And all I am is all I could not mention  
Like who will bring me flowers when it's over  
And who will give me comfort when it's cold**

She took a plane to somewhere out in space  
To start a life and maybe change the world  
See I never meant for you to have to crawl  
No I never meant to let you go at all 

Ryan didn't want to wake up. He remembered what happened in perfect clarity. His shaking hands as he reached to her close-to-white neck, the desperate need to find a pulse and the uncontrollable emptiness when he found none. It was a familiar feeling, too familiar because he had been here before – with Sophie and with Kate. He didn't want to open his eyes, to have to deal with Amelia, to have to be strong for the overly-large family that belongs – belonged – to Kate because he truly couldn't see life without her. He had managed for years, barely able to breathe at times. Sometimes the way his co-workers hated him had been a bonus – they would never ask about his life, about the picture's in his wallet (he was quite sure they had never seen them anyway). The years in Miami had been hard though, with the gambling and the constant hate. Yes, they had lost someone they loved, but so had he. Half of the time, the time that they disregarded or, in general, hated him he had wanted to say that they were not the only ones, that only a few months ago he had lost his entire life. Then Amelia had came and he at least had someone to talk to. Then they argued – for the first time – and his whole life had changed after that.

The pain he had endured at the Russian's hands had been cruel, but the next day had been worse. Lying, to Amelia, Eric, Calleigh, Natalia – all of them really. But it had truly hurt him that none of them had noticed he had been kidnapped – yes, he knew that they hated him but that had pushed him over the edge.

Then Kate came back from the dead, or whatever you could call it, and his whole life had been changed. He had been happy.

Had. Now, his life seemed pointless. Supposed friends, ones that hated him. The pain, the loss of his wife... Kate and Sophie.

"Ryan..." A voice entered his thoughts; it sounded like Natalia but he couldn't be sure. After all, why would Natalia be talking to him? She would probably blame him for all of this – and she would be right. If only he had died that night at the hands of the Russians half of this would not have happened. "Ryan, can you wake up please? I know it's hard, but you should wake up." She sounded scared. Why was she scared? Slowly, pushing the fear, the pain, aside, he slid his eyes open.

**Oh no, Oh no**

Don't ever say goodbye

See my head aches from all this thinkin'  
Feels like a ship God, God knows I'm sinkin'  
Wonder what you do and where it is you stay  
These questions like a whirlwind, they carry me away 

**And I said**

Who will bring me flowers when it's over  
And who will give me comfort when it's cold  
And who will I belong to when the day just won't give in  
And who will tell me how it ends and how it all begins

oh, oh no, yeah

Don't ever say goodbye

And I'm only human  
I said I'm only human  
I'm only human  
I said I'm only human  
I'm only human  
I said I'm only human, I'm human, I'm human 

_A/N: Please review!_


	11. Surviving

**A/N: So, apologises for not updating. I've had a crazy few days, and this will be the last chapter. There is another sequel in planning, but again, will be a while till I get it up.  
Disclaimer: Don't own CSI: Miami!**

_I'm lonely here tonight_  
_ Lost here in this moment and time keeps slipping by_  
_ And if I could have just one wish_  
_ I'd have you by my side_

_Oooh, oh I miss you_  
_ Oooh, oh I need you_

_ And I love you more than I did before_  
_ And if today I don't see your face_  
_ Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_  
_ It gets harder everyday_

"Bullet probably came from over there," Calleigh said, a sad tone in her voice as she pointed in the direction of another building. "She probably took a few steps before falling, so the shot would have came through the gap. This guys good." Not good enough for them though. There was no way in hell that she was going to let whoever this was get away with it.

Eric nodded and started to walk over to Kate's body. Her skin was deathly white, and blue tinged her lips. "COD?" He asked Tara. She looked up.

"Exsanguination. Went straight through her liver by the looks of it, hitting an artery on the way. She'd have been dead within, five, ten minutes tops." The small amount of time would have been like hell for Ryan though. "Has someone told Amelia?" Eric could have hit himself. That was stupid. Calleigh noticed the look on his face and shook her head.

"No ones contacted Amelia?" Eric shook his head, frowning. "Why?"

"Natalia went to sit with Ryan, I guess it-"

"Oh God." Tara muttered. "Guys, hurricane coming." Eric and Calleigh both looked in the direction that the M.E was pointing in. Hurricane was a good description.

"Delko! Tell them to let me in." Eric and Calleigh were already heading over to her – but there was no way that they would let her in. Amelia knew something was wrong from the second that they reached her. "What's happened?"

"Amy," Eric ducked under the yellow tape, as did Calleigh, and started walking her away from the scene. "The vic... I'm so sorry Amy, it's Kate."

_Three day's later. _

_Say you love me more than you did before_  
_ And I'm sorry it's this way_  
_ But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
_ And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay_

_ Well I try to live without you_  
_ The tears fall from my eyes_  
_ I'm alone and I feel empty_  
_ God I'm torn apart inside_

_ I look up at the stars_  
_ Hoping your doing the same_  
_ Somehow I feel closer and I can hear you say_

_Oooh, oh I miss you_  
_ Oooh, oh I need you_

"How are you two doing?" Calleigh asked, handing Amelia a cup of freshly brewed coffee as the younger CSI walked into the room. Amelia didn't have a clue as to how Calleigh had gotten in but she brushed it aside for now.

"Well, if you classify good as having to slip sleeping pills into drinks so Ryan will sleep then yeah, good." Amelia closed her eyes, tiredness etched all over her face. "He's not speaking, barely eating, barely drinking – which I should class as a good thing, 'cos that means he isn't drinking alcohol and..." Amelia shook her head. "He's doing bad." Calleigh nodded, sitting down next to Amelia and putting her hand on her arm.

"How are you doing?"

"Managing."

_ And I love you more than I did before_  
_ And if today I don't see your face_  
_ Nothing's changed, no one can take your place_  
_ It gets harder everyday_

_ Say you love me more than you did before_  
_ And I'm sorry that it's this way_  
_ But I'm coming home, I'll be coming home_  
_ And if you ask me I will stay, I will stay_  
_ Always stay_

_ I never wanna lose you_  
_ And if I had to I would choose you_  
_ So stay, please always stay_  
_ You're the one that I hold onto_  
_ 'Cause my heart would stop without you_

A/N: And there you go!


End file.
